So i was to the belief that I had ATN and i havnt been able to find a trigger yet and the pain is usually dull and achy and deep inside the jaw and it is constantly coming and going (but not suddenly, its like waves of an ocean lol).
Recently i had had sudden stabs also but the interesting thing happened when i tried an e cigarette (vaporizer?). every time, without fail, it caused my pain to at least double. I tried to do this a few times to see if i can recreate it and i was successful.
I believe it is. i don't vape, but I smoke good ol' Misty menthols. I never wanted to admit that on this site because I didn't want to be scolded! LOL But, since you brought it up ... I smoke anywhere from 3-15 cigarettes a day. I'm an avid bingo player, and in Virginia, a bingo hall is one of the last places left where one can freely enjoy their bad habit in public. I smoke in my car but not in my home. My 16-year-old son hates it, so I don't smoke when he's with me. I have noticed that when I smoke less, I hurt less. My neurosurgeon asks me what my triggers are, and I can't even admit that I think smoking is my trigger! On really bad pain days, I just can't smoke ... period. Like when you're sick with a bad cold, it just makes you feel worse. So, my advice is, just avoid it when you can. Quit if you can ... It's better for you all the way around. (And I should heed my own advice, huh?)
I actually went back to smoking (which i havnt done since i was in college) because i was so depressed due to tn! and it made it worse. I am going to give my vape thingie to a friend (terrible gift lol).
Thanks for the advice!
and maybe you could try a different hobby, like going for walks. im gonna find an alternative route for dealing with my depression :(
I already go for walks with my dog! There's more to bingo than smoking, though ... There's interesting camaraderie there ... Maybe a tricyclic antidepressant like amitriptyline would help your TN. I can't take any of the anti-seizure meds, so the antidepressant really helps. And once the pain is better under control, depression can magically lift ...That's my experience.
I don't smoke but I noticed that after I brush my teeth and rinse with water if I go to spit the water out it hurts. I noticed it happens because of way your mouth, lips and cheeks go when spitting it is like a suction motion. Could it be that when you smoke and inhale your mouth and cheeks cause the same motion. I know it sounds crazy but I can brush with no problem but rinsing and the spitting out kills!
Any activity which changes your blood pressure up or down can be a trigger for some people, some of the time. Smoking, alcohol, bending over a sink to brush your teeth, even getting out of bed in the morning. It's the nature of the beast.
In my case i have noticed certain mechanical movements of the jaw/neck could exacerbate the symptoms, which has sometimes made me wonder if the source of my particular TN is more physical than neurological (like TMJ or a mass or ..) but then i get twitches and muscle spasms in my face and hands/feet and remember that its prolly neurological (confirmed by the MRI which showed nerve and blood vessel entanglement).
One of these certain jaw positions (and this is related to Cindy's last post lol) is when my mouth is open for a prolonged period of time. Afterwards i notice that the pain is a lot worse. So i wonder if there is a mechanical element to it other than the fluctuations of the blood pressure as Red mentioned? (sorry i am a total noob and just hypothesizing out of my a@#).
Many TN patients report that dental work which involves jaw extension for prolonged periods can set off breakthrough pain, even when they were otherwise well managed prior to the dentist visit. So (again) for some people, some of the time, mechanical issues seem to act as triggers, apart from blood pressure. In quite a number of cases, spontaneous stabs of pain can't be associated in a cause and effect relationship with anything the patient notices as a discrete event. It is also known that the onset of face pain can be associated with whiplash injury to the neck, but the precise mechanisms aren't fully characterized. One of our members who is an osteopath in the UK believes that compression of the trigeminal plexus in the neck (at C1-C2 vertebrae) can be a cause of TN.
At the present state of research, there are competing and overlapping theories on how the neurological conditions which we call trigeminal neuralgia or neuropathy actually get started, and what factors contribute most centrally. Certainly some cases of TN are associated with vascular compressions of the nerve near its emergence from the brain stem. Particularly with so-called "atypical" or Type 2 trigeminal pain, damage from over-filled root canals or anesthetic mis-administered during dental work also seem to be among the causes.
haach76 said:
hi all and thank you for your replies.
In my case i have noticed certain mechanical movements of the jaw/neck could exacerbate the symptoms, which has sometimes made me wonder if the source of my particular TN is more physical than neurological (like TMJ or a mass or ..) but then i get twitches and muscle spasms in my face and hands/feet and remember that its prolly neurological (confirmed by the MRI which showed nerve and blood vessel entanglement).
One of these certain jaw positions (and this is related to Cindy's last post lol) is when my mouth is open for a prolonged period of time. Afterwards i notice that the pain is a lot worse. So i wonder if there is a mechanical element to it other than the fluctuations of the blood pressure as Red mentioned? (sorry i am a total noob and just hypothesizing out of my a@#).
Which is why it is termed trigeminal neuralgia, meaning pain in the trigeminal region of the face, so indeed the cause will be totally different in people, hence it should really be called trigeminal syndrome (as in signs and symptoms of) or similar. Without syndrome it implies a diagnosis in the eyes of the patient and hence cause, which may lead to bad treatment choices.
Talking of triggers mechanical or otherwise, a respected neurosurgeon in the area of tn states "30% of patients find rotation of the head/neck a trigger", I say 30% but I believe it to be closer to 40%, can't quite recall the quote.
Richard A. "Red" Lawhern said:
Many TN patients report that dental work which involves jaw extension for prolonged periods can set off breakthrough pain, even when they were otherwise well managed prior to the dentist visit. So (again) for some people, some of the time, mechanical issues seem to act as triggers, apart from blood pressure. In quite a number of cases, spontaneous stabs of pain can't be associated in a cause and effect relationship with anything the patient notices as a discrete event. It is also known that the onset of face pain can be associated with whiplash injury to the neck, but the precise mechanisms aren't fully characterized. One of our members who is an osteopath in the UK believes that compression of the trigeminal plexus in the neck (at C1-C2 vertebrae) can be a cause of TN.
At the present state of research, there are competing and overlapping theories on how the neurological conditions which we call trigeminal neuralgia or neuropathy actually get started, and what factors contribute most centrally. Certainly some cases of TN are associated with vascular compressions of the nerve near its emergence from the brain stem. Particularly with so-called "atypical" or Type 2 trigeminal pain, damage from over-filled root canals or anesthetic mis-administered during dental work also seem to be among the causes.
haach76 said:
hi all and thank you for your replies.
In my case i have noticed certain mechanical movements of the jaw/neck could exacerbate the symptoms, which has sometimes made me wonder if the source of my particular TN is more physical than neurological (like TMJ or a mass or ..) but then i get twitches and muscle spasms in my face and hands/feet and remember that its prolly neurological (confirmed by the MRI which showed nerve and blood vessel entanglement).
One of these certain jaw positions (and this is related to Cindy's last post lol) is when my mouth is open for a prolonged period of time. Afterwards i notice that the pain is a lot worse. So i wonder if there is a mechanical element to it other than the fluctuations of the blood pressure as Red mentioned? (sorry i am a total noob and just hypothesizing out of my a@#).
My personal experience with this is smoking never set an attack off but was next to impossible once it started. As an avid smoker it is one of the things about this and in a list of many that gets to me. I can’t even enjoy a cigarette when it’s in full swing. It’s normally at this point that I realise just how much it has taken from me when it’s at its worst. I’m all good for now though thank God!
For me, my triggers involved movement based around my mouth. Chewing the worst. Brushing my teeth, talking, smiling can set it off but haven’t found smoking to set it off yet, just near impossible to do at its worst.
You're right, Suzi ... I had a bad pain day on Wednesday and couldn't even light a cigarette.
suzi said:
My personal experience with this is smoking never set an attack off but was next to impossible once it started. As an avid smoker it is one of the things about this and in a list of many that gets to me. I can't even enjoy a cigarette when it's in full swing. It's normally at this point that I realise just how much it has taken from me when it's at its worst. I'm all good for now though thank God!
For me, my triggers involved movement based around my mouth. Chewing the worst. Brushing my teeth, talking, smiling can set it off but haven't found smoking to set it off yet, just near impossible to do at its worst.